The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-30
RAILROAD SLAUGHTER,
More Than 100 Persons Killed or
Injured Near Boston.

Injured Near Boston.
A railroad bridge disaster, even more ex.
tensive in its destruction of life and limb than
the recent Central Vermont horror, befell
suburban train on the Boston and Providence
Railroad Monday morning. The collapse Of
an iron bridge beneath train dashed six cars
to pieces on the highway, fifty feet be-
low. OF about two hundred people who
went down in the wreck twenty three were in.
stantly killed, or died soon after, fifteen
were reported dying and eighty were severely
hurt. The prompt summons Of Fire De-
partment detail prevented the additional hor-
ror of fire, and tho victims suffered death OF
injury only by mutilation.
The accident happened at bridge over
Spring street, on the Dedham branch, in
West Roxbury District, about five miles
from Boston Common. The train left Ded'
ham at Z o'clock, and consisted Of an engine
and nine cars in charge of Conductor w. H.
Alden and Assistants Myron Tilden and Web
ster Drake
About 800 persons were on board and were
pretty well distributed in the several cars In
less than two minutes after leaving Roslindale
station the engine crossed the bridge, and
second later Engineer White found that
his train had parted, and looking back
was Mortified to see that the
bridge had gone and several Of the cars had
disappeared. He Immediately stopped his en-
gine, and found that three cars were remain
ing on the embankment and the other six
were in the highway below. He then sounded
the whistle, and ran his locomotive ahead to
Forest Hills, the junction with the main line,
and gave the alarm.
The first man to reach the wreck was j. H.
Lannon, fish dealer. He was driving up
from Forest Hills toward the scene Of the
disaster when the engine of the wrecked train
came down the track whistling wildly. The
locomotive slowed down on the Forest Hills
crossing, and Lannon stopped his team, shout
ing to the engineer: "Whats the matters"
"My train has gone through Tin Bridge.
Telegraph to Boston," was the reply.
Lannon ran to the station with the meSSage,I
which was quickly flashed sxer.f sfse wires.
1-ssI ineI Hs esis.ieH back to his team and drove
up the road to the wreck. When he
reached it the cries and groans were COM
ing from all parts of the awful heap.
Bruised and wounded people were crawl
ing out from the pile. He found an
axe and climbed upon car that lay in the
trench, Two others being beneath it. He
thought most of the cries Of the injured came
from this car. He crawled through window
and went to work. A woman first demanded
his attention. She was pinned down by the
leeG, dLu GWO sedtS duu IHe Uouy VI d ludu
lay upon her. The body and the seats were
soon got out of the way. Working on the
wood and iron that held her down caused her
to scream with fresh agony, and it was some
moments before she was released. Lannon
dragged her to a window, and two men helped
him lift her out.
Four men, three Of them dead, and two
women were taken from this car by these
three men. By this time the firemen had ar
wreck, were hard at work, first rescuing the
imprisoned ones who were injured, and after
ward digging out the dead from the shape
less tangled debris
There were a score oIA ARlore men on the
train whose injuries Eere-so 50 slight that they
were able 60 to the assistance of their fel-
low passengers after the first moments
Of paralyzing horror. Those who could
be rescued at all were got out in a
few minutes, and the search for the
dead was prosecuted with less haste.
At only one point did fire appear-in the up
turned wreck of the smoking car, the last on
the train. A stream from chemical engine
quickly quenched the flames. 1t was scene
of horror for about all hour. Dead, dying, and
badly injured were strewn upon the ground
just as the rescuers placed them in the first
haste to get them from the ruins At the bot
tom Of the embankment, near one abutment,
lay the mutilated bodies Of seven girls in
row. Indeed, fully half the killed and injured
were shop girls who were on their way to their
work. There were many brave girls among
the injured, for they bore their sufferings
without moan or complaint after they had
been taken from the ruins. Surgeons from
the neighborhood arrived very promptly, and
within an hour all the appliances necessary
for such an emergency were at the scene.
The six cars which lay in the chasm be-
tween the two abutments formed pile Of
wreckage about 40 feet long by about 100
feet wide. Most of the casualties were in the
first three cars that fell. The fifth car of the
train lay in heap, with the splinters Of the
fourth car beneath it. Both ends of the car
were gone.
This is the first serious accident that has
ever occurred on the Boston and Providence
Road or its branches, and its effect was felt
in the stock market, the stock dropping off
about seven points, or an equivalent for $780,.
600, which it is expected that the disaster will
cost the company. The Massachusetts, Rail
road Commissioners at once began an investi-
cation into the disaster